Image parameters

The D50 provides seven preset 'Optimize Image' settings as well as one Custom setting which allows for your own choice of Sharpening, Tone, Color mode, Saturation and Hue. These options are only available in P, S, A and M exposure modes, in Auto or Scene modes the camera automatically selects image optimization.

Image parameter presets

The D50's seven image parameter presets are essentially canned setting combinations which can be used to quickly get a certain 'look' for the final image. Below you can see a brief description of each, for an example of the difference between them see this page of our D70 review.

• Normal
• Vivid - Enhanced saturation, contrast and sharpness
• Sharper - Enhanced sharpness
• Softer - Reduced sharpness
• Direct Print - Optimized for 'as is' direct (USB) printing
• Portrait - Lower contrast, optimized for skin tones
• Landscape - Enhanced saturation and sharpness, optimized for landscape colors

Custom image parameter adjustments

Select the 'Custom' setting from the 'Optimize Image' menu and you can create your own combination of the five image parameters:

• Sharpening: Auto, -2 to +2, None
• Tone comp: Auto, -2 to +2, Custom
• Color mode: Ia sRGB, II Adobe RGB, IIIa sRGB
• Saturation: Normal, Moderate, Enhanced
• Hue: +9° to -9°

Sharpening adjustment

The D50 provides a total of six different sharpening settings, from -2 to +2 as well as None. Set Sharpening to 'Auto' and the camera will automatically select the appropriate sharpening level depending on other camera parameters and exposure.

Auto
Normal
Low (-2)
Medium Low (-1)
Medium High (+1)
High (+2)
None

Tone adjustment

Adjusting the tone alters the shape of the 'S curve' used to map the linear image data captured by the sensor into the correct gamma. A lower contrast setting maintains more of the original data's dynamic range but leads to a flatter looking image. A higher contrast setting stretches the grayscale (dark to light) of the image and could lead to clipping of both shadow detail and highlights. The D50 provides a range of -2 to +2 as well as custom.

	Contrast	Luminosity histogram
A u t o
0
-2
-1
+1
+2